Improvement in explosive-gas engines



I A. DRAKE; H EXPLOSIVE GAS ENGINE.

' N0.12,'715. Patented Apr. 17, 1855.

THE Norms PETERs' on'. PuoYoLn-No wasmusrnn, D, c.

tion apparatus.

(UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

' IMPROVEMENT lN EXPLOSlVE-GAS EN GINES.

Specification forming part of Letters-Patent No. 12,715, dated April 17,1855.

- lowing is a speci fication.

The first part of myin provemen't and the principal distinctive feature of my. engine is an improved apparatus for igniting the ex-' plosive mixture of gases in the cylinder.

. The second part" or my .improvementembraces an;improved arrangement for cooling the working parts of the engine and I do hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification,in which-- Figure 1 represents a top view of my improved engine. Fig. 2 is averticallongitudinal sectionthrough the cylinder-piston and piston-rod and showing the position ofthe ignition apparatus and the arrangement for cooling the' parts- Fig. 3 is a sideview of the air-pumpand valves detaohed. Fig. 4 is a view of the top of the ignition apparatus removed. Fig.5 is -a vertical section through the ignition apparatus. Figs. 6, 7, and S-represent the detached parts composing the igni- A B G D, Fig. 2, represent .a section of the cylinder of the gas-engine constructed of metal in a manner'similar to the cylinder of an ordinary steam-engine.

KL represent the piston made hollow, so as to contain water for cooling.

M Nrepresent the piston-rod, also made hollow, so as to supply the piston with a constant supply of coolwater andto allow the heated water to escape."

I I I I represent a hollow metallic jacket surrounding the cylinder and communicating by the tubest and t with the piston and piston-rod, so as to maintain a constant circulation of cool water through the jacket, piston, and piston-rod, in the manner hereinafter'described. v

O 0' is a condensing air-pump operated by .means of an. arm 1) 0, attached tothe pistonrod. 'There' are two apertures at the receivmg end of the pump 1' and r. 4* opens to external atmosphere. The opening a" is connected with the gasome'ter or reservoir containing the 'hydrogen'or hydrocarbon gas.- A third opening is connected with the tube 0"". passing down to the reservoir R of combined gases. v y

The cylinder is connected by'tlibes w th any reservoir of hydrocarbon gas and with openings to the atmosphere, arranged and operating as described hereinafter.

The respective eluction and induction valves are operated by a rock shaft and, an eccentric, as in the ordinary steam-engine, and it is not therefore deemed necessary to refer minutely to these parts nor-to the'manner of connecting the piston-rod with the crank.

In the construction of my improved engine the general arrangements of the steam-engine are made use of, the valves being so placed as to tighten under the pressure within the cylinder, the induction-valves closing on the admission of anadequate supply of the ex plosive mixture at any determined point say at one-fourth or one-fifth of the stroke. When the proper charge is taken into the cylinder, the induction-valve is closed, and

the continued travel of the piston" uncovers an opening in the cylinder e and of communicating with the ignition apparatus.

. The ignition apparatus is shown on the out side at a. band a in Fig.- 1, and at a b c d and a b"'c' d' in Fig. 2 and in Figs. 5, 6, 7

and'8,. and consists of five pieces. a bed and a b c d are precisely alike, and the description-of the former will-serve for both. a b c d is a metal boxstanding about three inches high, with an internal opening of one and a quarter inch diameter. One of these boxes is bolted to the cylinder of the engine by the flanges f f over corresponding openings near each end of the cylinder. The upper part of the interior-of this box g g h h, Fig. 5, is tapered slightly sons to form a tight junction with the piece k 70', which is one and three-quarters inch long, and is also made correspondingly tapering on the outer side.

To the piece kJo' is attached the piece S S Sf. This is a thimble-shaped piece of hard cast-iron or other suitable metal two and a quarter inches long, th rec-quarters of an inch internal diameter, and one sixteanth of aninch thick. The lower extremity S juts into 2 name the openings through the cylinder at e and e'. The piece 7; 7: has a shoulder by which it rests upon and is'secured to the body of the box a b c d At It is an aperture communicating with the interior of the thimble S S S", half an inch in diameter, for the purpose of firing the jet of gasesint-roduced through the blow-pipe y y. Upon k k is secured a cap v 'v, having on its uppenside an oifset, to which is attached the pipe 1 conveying mixed gases from the reservoir R. To the under side of o '0 is attached a tubey y, which is made. of hard cast-iron or other suitable material two and three-fourths inches long, three-eighths of an inch thick, and one-eighth, of an inch in diameter, entering into the interior of S S S" and forms the blow-pipe for the inflamed gases.

0 0' is an air-pu mp for forcing into the reservoir R, above described, a proper supply of mixed gases for the jet of the blow-pipe and for tho start'rng of the engine. This supply is obtained in proper proportion by having thevalves to both the ignition supply-pump and to the supply-pipe of the engine arranged so as to cover at the same time an opening 7" to the atmosphere, and also the opening 1 of the pipe conveying the gas. This last pipe has a cock so adjusted as to admit a definite and proper supply of gas. For instance, in using ordinary bicarbureted hydrogen gas,. about one volume of the gas is required to make a saturating-mixture with nine volumes of atmospheric air, and it the cock is adjusted so as to admit only one-tenth of the capacity ofthe joint openings under the valve a mixture is obtained which will insure the greatest power. The power or force of the engine may. be reduced and regulated by a throttle-valve in the supply-pipe of the engine.

In starting the engine it is necessary to throw into the reservoir R,'by a pump worked by hand, a suificient quantity of air and gas to heat up the igniting apparatus, and it is necessary, also, that the piston of the engine be so placed as to expose the extremity S of one of the ignitors. The cock I, attached to the supply-pipe of the blow-pipe, is then openedand a taper is applied to the opening u, and thus'the trail is fired. The flamelof the compound blow pipe being directed against S, raises the temperature of the ignitor at S to the exploding point. Thefirst motion of the piston of the engine is then given by throwing intotbe cylinder from the rounding the cylinder with an external cos 7 ing or jacket I I I I, as above described, and by causing a constant stream of water to pass as follows: The water from any convenient, reservoir or source is admitted into the jacket I I I I through the aperture 1. The water then fills-the jacket I I I I surrounding the cylinder and passes outat the upper part of the jacket through the tubes ttinto the fixed tube P P, on'which the piston-rod M N slides,-

and thewater fills up the piston-rod M N. The water thence passes into the piston K L,throt1gh'the aperture 3, circulates therein, and returns back into the piston-rod through the aperture 4, and finally escapes from the piston-rod at the aperture 5. A small stutting-box a: an, packed with asbestus or fine wire,.is placed in the extremity of-the pistonrod, so as to surround the tube and form a tight joint at that point. By this peculiar arrangement and combination of jacket, hol

.low piston, and piston-rod the temperature is kept at a lower and more uniform point than in any previously-constructed gas-engine, and

thorough lubrication therefor'can be obtained.

Having thus described my improved gasengine, I do not wish to claim the employment or application of explosive admixtures of gases to engines; but

What I do desire to claim as my invention, and secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The igniting apparatus composed of the thimble S S S" and the interior tube or blowpipe 1 y, arranged and operating substantially as hereinbefore described.

2. The arrangement and combination of the hellowpiston-rod, pistomand jacketsurrounding the cylinder for the purpose of maintaining a constant circulation of water for cooling, substantially as hereinbefore described.

ALFRED DRAKE. -Witnesses:

J. E. SHAW, CHARLES D. FREEMAN. 

